This piece was brought to my attention by my wonderful friend and colleague, Jennifer Sertl. It was written in April of 2011 by Jay Deragon who is always articulates the present and the future in a way that hopefully expands your awareness which we all need in today's marketplace.

Here are some of the highlights:

**People are gathering in "tribes" to connect, collaborate, discover and influence change.

**Social technology provides people the ability to aggregate around everything and anywhere.

**The market sees this and attempts to aggregate self serving tribes but the people have a different purpose & their own tribe

**The aggregation of tribes has become the pursuit of the market. Pulling groups and custom networks has become a common practice of the markets managing these tribes with a purpose different than simply gathering of the trade.

The evolving dynamics of tribal aggregation are the dynamics that will change the way markets interact with tribes

1. Tribes control the message with growing influence over markets

2. Tribes have a purpose. Help them fulfill their purpose and just maybe you'll become part of that tribe

3. Companies will have to learn that they are not the "connection" to the tribes, internal and external hold the keys to tribal influence

4. Tribes do need management, they need tools to accomplish their objectives and will always be self managed

5. Tribal leaders are more interested in serving tribe members than themselves.

Here is a great takeaway:

Seth Godin writes: "Tribe management is a whole different way of looking at it.

**It starts with permission, the understanding that the real asset isn't an amorphous brand but is in fact the privilege of delivering anticipated relevant messages to people who want to get them

Ms. Chan is one of a number of people seemingly weary of the 24-second cycle of Internet memes, viral distractions and celebrity hearsay that provide the fodder for today’s online intelligentsia. They do not busy themselves keeping up with the online cultural conversation of the moment, and they willingly brave the social cost of seeming out of touch.

Beth Kanter's insight:

Ms. Chan is one of a number of people seemingly weary of the 24-second cycle of Internet memes, viral distractions and celebrity hearsay that provide the fodder for today’s online intelligentsia. They do not busy themselves keeping up with the online cultural conversation of the moment, and they willingly brave the social cost of seeming out of touch.

Some researchers suggest that the desire to opt out is a backlash to the “fear of missing out,” or FOMO, a term dating to around 2011 that described the anxiety people felt reading on social media about parties they were not invited to attend.

FOMO was followed by another putative trend, the “joy of missing out,” which extolled mindfulness and staying offline to snuggle on the couch instead. But now, not only are people like Ms. Chan choosing not to be part of the online stampede, they regard their absence with pride.

For some, standing at the head of the chattering class is a sign of social status, said Lee Rainie, a specialist in the social influence of digital technologies at the Pew Research Center in Washington. “There are some people who want to know every little blip,” he said. But others find it stressful. A 2013 Pew study showed that nearly one in 10 Facebook users took a break from the social network because there was too much gossip and drama.

“People are questioning, ‘Is this how I want to orient my gaze?’ ” Mr. Rainie said. “There are times when it feels satisfying and others when it feels debilitating.”

The crush of Internet fodder makes it hard to escape, even if you try. Christina Crook, the author of “The Joy of Missing Out,” published in February, stayed offline for a month in 2012 but still found popular culture seeping into her conversations. “The big stories, people are talking about them,” Ms. Crook said. “If there was a story in the wider culture, it wasn’t like I was missing out.” Indeed, her lack of knowledge only played to the ego of her more connected friends. “Most people want to feel in the know,” she said. “I just became comfortable feeling silly.”

Ms. Cain said there was a small social cost to pay for not staying current with every Internet meme. “So for 10 minutes you’ll have nothing to contribute,” Ms. Cain said. “Life moves on.”

Employment branding is one way to advertise your organization’s culture to attract candidates who will fit well within it. Have you ever heard that money can’t buy happiness? It can’t buy good employees either.

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Beth Kanter's insight:

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